Theories Behind The Mask
by Tiburontooth
Summary: Actualy my raw theories after watching episode 4. Korra searching for the retired fire lord to revealed the reason behind Equalist movement Pair : Makora & Zutara


**Hello and welcome to my first fanfic in english language ... (I guess).**

**This oneshot fic, I made it actually to speak up my theory after watching Legend of Korra episode 4 and learned that Zuko is still alive.**

**Pardon me if some theory sounds kind of absurd to you, or even made you want to throw cabbages on me. It's just thoughts and ideas, and I'm open to your theories too. So, feel free to add comments and share your theories if you like. I will be very happy to hear yours.**

**And, since I'm a loyal Zutarian, I will write it in Zutara way (and trying to make it comfortable to be read by anti-zutara people)**

**Please pardon me for the bad grammar or if this fic is not well-written.**

**I already try my best and these are my limits.**

**D I S C L A I M E R**

**I do not own Avatar : Legend of Korra/Legend of Aang.**

**All characters, setting and basic plot belongs to Mike D DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Nickelodeon**

As soon as the ship landed near Southern Water Tribe beach, Korra jumped out of the ship and dashed to the village, leaving all of her companions behind.

"Gran Gran! Gran Gran!" she shouted out loud in haste, impatiently rushed into Katara's house.

The old lady heard the young avatar calling out her name and she opened her door curiously. She knew that familiar voice. And there she saw a young lady with skin as dark as hers running through the village. The excited lady was ignoring other people that were wondering what's going on.

"Korra ...?"

"Gran gran, please don't ask why I'm here. I need you to answer my question first."

Katara did what she ask and let the young avatar ask.

"Where is Fire Lord Zuko?"

Katara's eye pupil enlarged when she heard that name was mentioned. "I, I don't have any idea of what you're talking about, Korra..."

"Gran gran, somebody in Republic City is running on a mad revolution against the benders and I need to know his reasons on doing it. If I know the whole story, I might know how to face him. I think the only one who knows his history is Fire Lord Zuko!"

Katara avoided Korra's look. She looked doubtful and anxious. There's something about to come out from her lips, but she held it back again.

"So you really know something, gran gran?" Korra insisted. "Please tell me, where is Fire Lord Zuko!"

"Korra, my dear... he's already dead, passed away. A long time ago."

"Please don't lie, I know he's alive!"

Suddenly there's a heavy gentle voice, heard from inside of Katara's home. "If it's about a man who is now known as "Amon", then ... let her in."

Korra's heart beat faster. She never heard that voice before, but it sounded familiar. Like somebody who she used to know.

"But your wounds ..." Katara answered, she was worried.

"I'm fine. Why are you hiding me from the avatar, anyway?"

"I'm just ... worried that if anybody knows, those people will come after you here." Katara sighed as she turned around to face Korra, her aging blue eyes were seemed burdened with pain. "Come in, Korra, dear..."

Finally, she could meet the Fire Lord, the one who could be the cause of all this equalist revolts. How's he looked like right now? His statue in Republic City looks so tough, proud and courageous with eternal flame burning out of his palm. But here he looked frail and he's 87 now, and Katara said that he's wounded, why? And since when the former Fire Lord stays?

Right before Korra got inside Katara's house, a voice called her name, "Korra!"

It was Mako. He had caught up with her after she jumped off the ship. When he was at Korra's side, the firebender asked her search progress, "How is it?"

Korra nodded, "As we suspected, he's here."

The two youngsters walked into Katara's house. It's just a simple and small house owned by an old waterbender lady who once helped Aang saved the world, and saved Zuko's life. People remembered Aang and Zuko as the world's saviors, but without this one woman, they were nothing.

Katara escorted Korra and Mako to a small chamber. It's Katara's room, not far from the front door. There, the two youngsters saw an old man with a dreadful scar that covered half of his face. His hair were all white, Korra recognized him because he looked so much like Avatar Roku, except he had scar on his face. Like other old fighter, his body still looked tough and well-build. He still got all his teeth and his right eye was still sharp. Long time ago, his left eye became rotten, so a doctor performed a surgery and take it off. Now, he covered that empty left eye with an eye patch. He was currently lying on a bed covered with warm animal fur. Bandages wrapped his chest. He was wounded.

"You are the fire lord?" asked Korra, she wouldn't believe that this 87 years old man still looked tough if she didn't see him by her own eyes.

"I was." Zuko answered. As Katara always said about him; he never laugh, almost never smiled. He had such a firm expression, but not exactly a poker face. He was just being too serious.

Mako bowed at him proudly. "Former Fire Lord Zuko, I'm Mako, it is an honor to meet you."

Zuko just nod, showing that he had accepted the greeting but wasn't interested to know more about the young lad or make some small chat. The old man coughed a while while holding his wounded chest painfully. Katara saw on a seat beside the bed and supported him. He went better after her assistance.

"As you can see, Zuko is wounded now and he needed some rest. It will be better if we leave him until ..."

Zuko stopped Katara's words by holding her hand. "It's alright, Katara." He then turned to Korra, "You must be Korra, the next avatar."

Korra nodded. "It's an honor to meet you too, Fire Lord Zuko. Gran gran said that you had passed away. So, I'm surprised to see that you still alive."

"Glad to see you again, avatar." Then he pointed two seats in front of him. After the two guests sat down, he said, "Few minutes ago, Katara lied to secure me."

"From who? or what?"

"It's was back then, 42 years ago. I can't tell you much... I burned this person down because Aang was too undetermined him. I finished that man before things got worse ..." Zuko looked regrettable, not proud about what he did. Guilt was shown all over his face.

Katara's palm warmed his hand, silently encouraging him. "You did what you had to do, Zuko. Aang was holding back against him because they were comrades."

"I didn't regret when I eliminated him... But, I never expected Aang to be so angry, though it seemed like he knew that it was the best thing to do. He couldn't blame me, but he couldn't forgive me for killing people either. Therefore, I lost my best friend."

"Then why were you burned Amon's face after you killed his father?"

Zuko and Katara were both looked surprised. They looked at each other's face and had no idea what was Korra talking about.

"Amon is the man who revolt to eliminate all benders because a bender killed his parents and burned his face." Korra explained.

"I might have encountered him before. Several years ago, a chi-blocker fighter challenged me to a duel. He's a non-bender, and I admitted that he was talented. There's one thing to do when you face chi-blockers, make sure you move faster than them, using the most effective offense, don't waste time with useless move, and try to finish them in one blow. I managed to dodge his moves and quickly ended the duel by shot a ripe fireball all the way toward his face. He was wounded badly. I was so ashamed for damaging his face, because I made a mistake like what my father did to me, a kind of wound that I curse forever. That man was so furious, said that he wanted to take back what I took from him. Then he disappeared."

Mako and Korra faced each others. They were agreed on something, "that must be Amon!"

"I did some research on him, and find out why he challenged me for the first time. He's the son of the man that I killed in Republic City back then. After few years he didn't show up, I decided to give up my throne to my daughter and went on a journey as ambassador of world's peace at the same time I used this opportunity to find that man to settle our conflict. I would try to make him understand, and probably settle this with another duel forever."

"Did you find him?"

Zuko shook his head slowly. "When I reached Republic City, I heard about his revolutionary movement. I challenged him to a duel secretly on an island. One on One."

"Did you won?" Korra looks curious.

"If he won, then who's this Amon we fight against this current time?" Mako protested her.

"I won."

Korra glared sharply to Mako who was now blushing and turned his head away from Korra.

"But then a chi-blocker jumped out of nowhere all of a sudden. He managed to block my right chest, and it hit my right arm." Zuko touched his right arm and squeezed it a bit.

"Then Amon got you?"

"If Amon got him, who's this person we are talking to right now?" Mako protested her again.

"Nah ... I dodged right away. That slowpoke coward..." Zuko sighed. "I prefered to jump to the sea with incapable arm and swam away. Another chi blockers searched my presence and I had to dived into the bottom of the ocean, slowly swam away from Republic city."

"And here you are..."

"I don't know how I got this wound." Zuko touched his chest. "All I know is I was swimming, endured the pain that I felt all over my right chest. I had to save myself."

"But you swam all the way here ... from Republic City to Southern Water Tribe ..." Korra was now wondering how he did that.

"All of my best friends are passed away. Katara is the only close friend I have left."

"I was so surprised to see him still alive, last time I heard of him is the fire lady succeed the throne, I thought he already passed away without any news sent to me. But ..." Katara smiled. "It's such a relieved to see you alive, Zuko."

Zuko gave Korra another advice, "Korra, this man can be dangerous if you don't know anything about chi-blocking, you should find out his secret to eliminate the bending. My guess is, he did not remove the ability. He just added illusion so the bender thought that they lose their bending skill. It was a false belief, a powerful suggestion. You can do it. Just finish him."

Korra nodded. "I will."

But then, as she examined those two old man and woman, she recognized such odd gestures. Katara took care of Zuko and touched his palms for several times. As he spoke, Zuko never looked at Katara. But their hands were holding tightly ...

"Umm, sorry, but, I wonder if you two, somehow ... spouse?" Mako asked in doubt.

Katara just laughed.

"No." Zuko confirmed firmly with his straight stoic face.

"Oh, pardon." Mako looked away.

"Now that you mentioned it, are you two a lover?" Katara seemed so satisfied with that counter-question, moreover when she recognized these youngsters became shy and looked away from each others, blushing.

It seemed any answers would be unnecessary now.

"Now, you two ..." Katara stood and walked toward Korra and Mako. "...please buy us some fish and seasons, we will have dinner soon."

"...alright..." Korra and Mako went out of the house to buy some ingredients for dinner.

Katara went back to the room and approached Zuko. Gently, she opened the bandages that wrapped his chest then took some clean water and bend it to the man's wound. The old man slightly groaned.

"You're a strong man, Zuko. You will live long." Katara smiled.

Zuko gave Katara a simple smile, "Not as strong as Aang."

Katara chuckled as she put back the water into a bucket, "He is strong because he's the avatar. He's talented because he is born that way. You and I are mere humans, and for human, you are very strong. I remember you were good at swimming and held your breath for a long time underwater, despite the fact that you were a firebender. Sometimes people were just too proud of Aang, and left you in his shadow. But I ..."

Katara held Zuko's hand proudly. "As we grow older, I recognized many things that people ignore from you. You always seemed to be at the wrong side so that people misunderstood you. And sometimes people thought you as loser. It's different than what I witnessed. I am always proud of you, even if I never show it."

Zuko stayed quiet, lying on the warm fur bed. He then looked up the ceiling. Then he tightened his palm against Katara's. "Actually, I don't really care about what others thought about me."

"That young man who's with Korra ... The guy with the scarf..." Katara adds, "He reminds me of you when you were young. He and Korra look adorable, aren't they?"

"I see now why you ask them to go to the market." Zuko smiled. It looked like he's about to laugh. "Just forget about those times, Katara. It's already in the past."

"We just old people, we reminiscence the good times we had. Along with many good times and bad with Aang, those times were what I treasured secretly that nobody was allowed to discover..."

_**End**_


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